Cranford
Dublin Core
Title
Cranford
Description
Cranford is a collection of satirical stories about life in the countryside in Victorian-era England. It was initially published in 1853 as a full novel, though before this it was published serially in Household Words, which was edited by Charles Dickens. The novel draws heavily from Elizabeth Gaskell’s own life, and as such the eponymous town of Cranford is based on her hometown of Knutsford, Cheshire. Because of the way it was initially published, the novel has been criticized for having no typical plot structure.
This specific edition is the first edition printed as such. It contains a myriad of illustrations, 110 to be exact, by Hugh Thomson. The illustrations are used primarily as front- and endpieces for chapters, though several of them also illustrate direct quotes from the text. The cover and spine both have extensive gold-ink illustrations, and the edges of the pages are also gilded. The front cover and title page, interestingly, do not give Elizabeth Gaskell’s first name, opting instead to refer to her as “Mrs. Gaskell”.
The preface for this edition was written by Anne Thackeray Ritchie, who was a contemporary and another well-known Victorian female author. She’s also known as the daughter of William Makepeace Thackeray, author of Vanity Fair, and the step-aunt of Virginia Woolf.
Further Reading
Brake, L. (2012). Elizabeth gaskell's cranford: A publishing history. Victorian Studies, 54(4), 767-769,778. Retrieved from http://proxymu.wrlc.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1265597634?accountid=27975
Recchio, T. (2003). "Charming and sane": School editions of cranford in america, 1905-1914. Victorian Studies, 45(4), 597-623. Retrieved from http://proxymu.wrlc.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/211911273?accountid=27975
https://catalog.wrlc.org/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=4014773
This specific edition is the first edition printed as such. It contains a myriad of illustrations, 110 to be exact, by Hugh Thomson. The illustrations are used primarily as front- and endpieces for chapters, though several of them also illustrate direct quotes from the text. The cover and spine both have extensive gold-ink illustrations, and the edges of the pages are also gilded. The front cover and title page, interestingly, do not give Elizabeth Gaskell’s first name, opting instead to refer to her as “Mrs. Gaskell”.
The preface for this edition was written by Anne Thackeray Ritchie, who was a contemporary and another well-known Victorian female author. She’s also known as the daughter of William Makepeace Thackeray, author of Vanity Fair, and the step-aunt of Virginia Woolf.
Further Reading
Brake, L. (2012). Elizabeth gaskell's cranford: A publishing history. Victorian Studies, 54(4), 767-769,778. Retrieved from http://proxymu.wrlc.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/1265597634?accountid=27975
Recchio, T. (2003). "Charming and sane": School editions of cranford in america, 1905-1914. Victorian Studies, 45(4), 597-623. Retrieved from http://proxymu.wrlc.org/login?url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/211911273?accountid=27975
https://catalog.wrlc.org/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=4014773
Creator
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell
Publisher
Macmillan and Co. and New York
Date
1891
Format
Book, 1v. 19cm, 297 pp.
Language
English
Identifier
https://catalog.wrlc.org/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?BBID=4014773
Files
Collection
Citation
Author: Elizabeth Gaskell, “Cranford,” John T. and Agnes J. Gomatos Special Collections Room, accessed April 26, 2024, https://gomatos.wrlc.org/items/show/32.